I chose bill H.CON.RES.48 to defend my case dealing with health insurance. This bill's title includes: Expressing the sense of Congress that national health care reform should ensure that the health care needs of women and of all individuals in the United States are met.
What is the Issue?
The issue in my advocacy project is to increase the amount of people with health insurance. Many lower class individuals are faced with problems affording the proper health insurance for their families. Health insurance is a often offered through employment but not all the time. What about families that have no job? Not only the parents, but the children are greatly affected. How can we make health insurance more affordable for these individuals?
Who is affected by this issue?
It is known that 44 million Americans are living without health insurance. My target population was previously at 100%. Health insurance affects everyone!
Health insurance affects access to health care as well as the financial well being of families. It is more likely that if parents do not have health insurance, their children do not as well. I may be bias to this issue since I have always had health insurance under my parents name and just thought of it as the norm. The truth is that many people do not have this advantage which makes it hard to afford for themselves or for families.
What are the consequences of the issue?
I found a variety of consequences dealing with uninsured individuals and families..
-Many uninsured individuals skip recommended medical tests or treatments since they cannot pay for the care needed.
-Uninsured children are more likely than insured children to not receive medical care for common conditions like ear infections- illnesses that if left untreated can lead to more serious health problems.
-Uninsured individuals are much less likely to receive preventative care which delays treatment or even not receiving the care.
What is the social impact of the issue?
If people cannot afford the prices of health insurance, we are going to have a lot of problems in the future.A survey taken in 2007 indicated that 340,000 people in Minnesota are uninsured. That is a very large amount! The social impact of this issue may be more apparent than other bills since it deals with access to care. We may see more ill people undergoing health issues that are not getting treated due to their financial status. If worse comes to worse, people uninsured will not live as long as people who are insured since they are not getting the physical exams needed to determine any health disparities.
What are the barriers?
Without health insurance, the prices of care for individuals or families is very expensive creating barriers for individuals to get the help they need. They may avoid care which may lead to more damaging effects if untreated. Since a vast majority of uninsured are homeless, they're even less likely to obtain health care practices. Many people cannot afford health insurance and even a roof over their heads. With our economy the way it is, it's hard enough affording all the changes going on around us.
What are the resources?
The most important resource necessary for health insurance are money. As we have previously learned, money means power. If you have the money to afford health insurance you have more opportunities to get the health care you need at a more affordable price. If taxpayers are willing to pay higher taxes, this resource will be crucial as well.
Economical Impacts of issue:
Taxpayers will be affected by this if the bill is passed which may cause some room for debate. Taxpayers may ask, why do we need to pay more taxes for people who cannot afford health insurance? If each taxpayers would pay a small addition to their taxes, they could potentially save other people's lives in the long run.
What is the history of this issue?
I actually found quite a bit of information regarding the history of health insurance. It all began in 1861-1865 when the first insurance plan began during the civil war. The earliest ones only offered coverage against accidents related from travel by rail or steamboat. This health insurance plan eventually paved the way for covering all illnesses and injuries. The first group policy giving comprehensive benefits was offered by Massachusetts Health Insurance of Boston in 1847.
While Preisident Clinton was in office in 1993, he created a plan in which guaranteed health insurance for all Americans. This plan was opposed by leaders since it was too expensive. This was never reached even though alternatives were made.Congress had passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1996. This protected individuals from losing their health insurance when they moved from one job to another or became self-employed. Unfortunately, it did not ensure the overall quality or comprehensiveness of insurance offered by employers.
Allies and Opponents
Currently, President Barack Obama has plans to improve health care for our country. He says he will make health insurance affordable and accessible to all, and to build upon the preexisting healthcare systems. He would also like to lower the cost of health care about 2,500 per family by investing in health information technology, prevention and care coordination. People who currently cannot afford health insurance will also be very supportive of this bill since it will offer them opportunities they did not have before. It's obvious that some tax payers will be opposed to this bill since it will increase the price they pay in taxes.
I hope that after reading my request that you will vote YES for more affordable in health insurance creating access to care for individuals and families.
Resources:
Uninsured in America
Health Insurance Center
History of Health Insurance in the United States
Organizing for America
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